Wire insulation coloring apparatus



A ril 25, 1961 D. VATT ETAL WIRE INSULATION COLORING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 22, 1959 mam-chm Q24 EMF-.30 m5;

ll 55:. 2:39; i I] i a q N 8 I H 2 A \.N T W 5 may 73 I vw m m Siam 1 1 mo oo 2 INVENTORS DAVID E. VATT EDWARD C. DYER WILLIAM L. THOMPSON 22M (ff M4,

ATTORNEY A ril 25, 1961 D. E. VATT ETAL 2,981,225

WIRE INSULATION COLORING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 22, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS:

DAVID E. VATT EDWARDC. DY ER WILLIAM L. THOMPSON &2, 0.2%

ATTORNEY Uite. States i;

2,981,225 wmn INSULATION coronmc APPARATUS David E. Vatt, Moline, and Edward C. Dyer, Rock Island,

11]., and William L. Thompson, Bettendorf, Iowa, assignors, by mesne assignments, to The Gamewell Company, Newton, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 22, 1959, Ser. No. 788,428

3 Claims. (Cl. 118-65) This invention relates to insulated wire dyeing or painting apparatus for use in conjunction with other wire conversion apparatus. Such apparatus is usually located in close or confined work areas where persons are employed at related tasks where the release of odor or paint fumes is objectionable. The invention comprises fumeless, odorless wire coating apparatus.

It is common practice for manufacturers of equipment using quantities of color coded electric Wire to purchase a large quantity of wire having white or light gray insulation and to color code the wire prior to conversion for use. Conversion for use normally consists of cutting the wire to length, stripping a short portion of insulation from each end, and tinning or securing terminals to one or both ends. The equipment employed in the conversion process usually includes a power drive mechanism for pulling the Wire from the reel through the cutting and stripping apparatus. The wire coater is stationed between the reel and the conversion apparatus and applies any selected one of several colors to the wire insulation as the wire is drawn through.

Manufacturers of color coded wire may find the apparatus disclosed herein to be useful in supplying the needs of smaller firms who find it more economical to purchase spools of color coded wire rather than invest in the coating apparatus. The manufacturer runs one of his stock insulated wire reels through his machine to apply the specified code color desired by the purchaser.

The invention applies particularly to code coloring of wires by spraying on a pigment carried in a readily vaporizable medium. Since the wire is passing on directly to a processing machine only a few feet away, it is essential that the wire be both sprayed and dried as rapidly as possible so that on arrival at the processing machine it will be dry.

In existing systems the air released by the spray nozzles in the closed spraying chamber creates a fume laden atmosphere under pressure in the spraying chamber that blows out into the working area around the apparatus through the apertures through which the wire enters and leaves the spray chamber.

It has been found that if the wire is passed through a spray chamber, entering through a hole at one end and leaving through a hole at the other, the drying does not proceed as rapidly as desired, presumably because the air in the spray chamber becomes spray laden. It has been discovered that by placing the spray chamber under suction and allowing air to flow in through the openings through which the wire enters into and passes out of the chamber, that the wire, sprayed by spray nozzles near the entrance of the chamber, will dry satisfactorily before leaving the chamber. In the preferred form of the invention a series of bafiies are provided in the chamber near the openings through which the wire enters and leaves. Each of these baffles has a centrally located hole for the wire. The baflies at the exit end guide the air drawn in through the opening in a circuitous path that crosses the sprayed wire several times.

2,981,225 Patented Apr-.25, 1961 It will be appreciated that to function satisfactorily and to maintain a proper vacuum the amount of air drawn in has to be controlled. The air drawn in must be used to best advantage by bringing itinto repeated contact with the wet wire.

The invention consists of a spraying chamber, wire inlet and outlet apertures, pressure-reducing bafiles near the apertures, a pressurized fluid spraying system, and a vacuum drying and venting system.

The invention is shown in perspective in Figure 1 and in section in Figures 2 and 3.

In Figure l, the spray chamber 1 is placed between an auxiliary mechanism 2, shown for example as a wire cutter and stripper, and the wire supply reel 3. The mechanism 2 draws the wire 4 through the spray chamber at a substantially uniform rate. A second reel and a reel drive may be employed in place of the wire cutter and stripper 2 if desired.

The spray chamber 1 is supported on suitable frame members 5, 6 and is positioned along the line of travel of wire 4. Each end of the tubular chamber 1 has apertures 7, 8, for entry and exit of the wire. Air under pressure is supplied to manifold 14 at inlet 10, and suction or vacuum is drawn at outlet 11 of filter 20. Color fluid is fed over plastic lines 12-from color supply 13. A manifold 14 serves to meter the flow of color fluid through lines 12 and direct the color fluid and the air through double plastic tubes 15 to nozzles '16. A venturi in each nozzle 16 creates a partial vacuum and draws color fluid over lines 12 and 15 from color supply 13. Plastic tubes 15 contain two passages, one controlled by valve 17 which permits air under pressure from manifold 14 to flow to the spray nozzle, the other passage connected to plastic lines 12 which feed color fluid to the nozzle.

The nozzles 16 are installed in the wall of chamber 1 in a helical pattern with each one directed toward the moving wire 4 to provide uniform coverage. The nozzles 16 are inclined in the direction of travel of wire 4 and provide a finely divided spray or haze around the wire. Individual valves 17 are installed in manifold 14 to permit accurate adjustment of the spray pattern by metering the flow of air to individual nozzles 16.

The vacuum or suction source connected to line 11 provides a partial vacuum within the filter box 20. The partial vacuum in'filter box 20 draws excess spray and partially saturated drying air from chamber 1 through line 21 and from the top of reservoir 22 through line 23. Excess spray within chamber 1 drains down through pipes 24, 25 into reservoir 22 under the assistance of the partial vacuum in reservoir 22. Drying air is admitted to chamber 1 through the wire apertures 7, 8 and after it dries the color on the wire the air is drawn off through pipe 21 to filter 20.

The excess color drawn into reservoir 22 may be reclaimed if only a single color is admitted to one con tainer. If one color is run for an extended period of time it may be worthwhile to reclaim the color.- In actual practice a number of colors are used during a day and the small amount of each collected in the container mix to form a dark brown and are not reused.

In practice, the vacuum supplied to filter 20 may be obtained from a venturi installed in the compressed air supply line. The air from the venturi may be supplied to air line 10 and the partial vacuum supplied to vacuum line 11. Thus, a vacuum pump is not required.

A plurality of color supply containers 13 are, provided, one for each color used. When a different color is desired tubes 12 are removed from one container and placed in the container having the desired color. To retain clarity of colors it may be desired to first place the tubes 12 in a solvent container and flush out the system.

As shown in cross sectional view in Figure 2 a plurality of baflles 26, 27 are provided at each end of spraying and drying chamber 1 to inhibit the entrance of air into the chamber. It is evident that clearance between the wire 4 and the apertures in the baffles is necessary to accommodate the various sized wires used and on the outlet end to keep the drying color from contacting and clogging the aperture 8. The bafiles 27 at the outlet end are spaced from the bottom of chamber 1 to permit the flow of surplus color to return pipe 25.

Details of the construction of the end caps and baffies are shown more clearly in Figure 3. The exit end of chamber 1 is shown in section as is cap 28 and bafiles 27. Cap 28 may be of rubber, cork, or other plastic material and is forced into the end of chamber 1. Cap 28 has a centrally located hole 8 through which wire 4 exits. Two or more pins 29 are seated in cap 28 and form supports for a number of disc-like partitions or baffies 27. Each baffle has a centrally located hole for the passage of wire 4. Alternate bafiles have a cut away edge at alternate sides to give the inleaking air a flow pattern which encompasses wire 4 in a plurality of passes. The baflles are spaced from the bottom of chamber 1 to permit excess color to drain out through the opening and pipe under the influence of the partial vacuum in pipe 25.

Thus, atmosphere around the wire coating apparatus remains clear because no dye or paint fumes are expelled into the air. All vapor is drawn off through the vacuum system into the filter. The filter may be vented to the outside. The work area is kept suitable foremployees.

The invention can be characterized as the discovery that by placing the nozzles near the inlet end of the spray chamber and drawing oiifrom the other end of the chamher more air than enters through the spray nozzles a partial vacuum is created which causes some of the outside atmosphere to flow into the chamber through the inlet and outlet apertures. These apertures must be larger than the cross section of the wire, both to take care of different wire sizes and to avoid scraping the partially dried color from the wire insulation. Thus no ordinary seal can be applied. It has been discovered that this inwardly flowing air creates a perfect seal against the outflow of fume laden air from the chamber into the surrounding work space. To reduce the amount of air required, a plurality of baflles are employed to form a pressure gradient and increase the resistance to the incoming air. The air is also made to follow a circuitous path across the Wire to increase its drying effectiveness.

We claim:

1. A wire insulation color spraying and drying chamber consisting of a tube having an air tight cylindrical wall and removable rubber end caps, said end caps effectively sealing the ends of said tube, a centrally located hole in each end cap, a plurality of pins affixed to each said end cap and extending into said tube, a plurality of disc-like baflies aifixed to said pins in each end cap and fixedly spaced from each said cap, a centrally located hole in each said baffle all of said centrally located holes in line, means for moving an insulation covered wire through said holes, a pressurized color spraying system having a plurality of nozzles inserted through the wall of said tube near the inlet end, said nozzles arranged in a helical pattern and aimed toward the insulated wire and in the direction of travel thereof, a vacuum scavenging system having at least two inlets located at the bottom of each end of said tube near said bafiles connected to remove excess color from said tube, and a vacuum drying system having one or more inlets in the top of said tube to remove vapors released from the sprayed color.

2. Apparatus for coloring the insulation on a wire drawn through the apparatus comprising an elongated cylinder, a compressible end cap in each end of said cylinder and having a centrally located aperture therethrough for passage of the wire, a plurality of circular bafiles fixedly attached to each end cap, each bafiie having a centrally located aperture, the battles at the exit end of said cylinder displaced from the bottom of said cylinder, a plurality of spray nozzles arranged in a helical pattern near the entrance end of said cylinder, said nozzles directed toward the axis of said cylinder and also toward the direction of travel of said wire within said cylinder, said nozzles supplied with air under pressure and with dye, an excess dye scavenging system consisting of a vacuum forming apparatus, a filter, a reservoir and associated piping connected to the bottom of each end of said cylinder near said baflles and adapted to draw the surplus dye therefrom for collection in said reservoir, and a vacuum drying system comprised of a plurality of outlets near the top of the exit end of said cylinder connected to said filter through tubing to draw vapor and fumes from said cylinder, said cylinder sealed against entrance of air thereinto except through the wire entrance hole in one said end cap and the wire exit hole in the other said end cap, the air entering said cylinder through the wire entrance and exit holes sufiicient to dry said dye on said insulation.

3. In a wire insulation coloring apparatus, comprising, in combination: a wire supply; a wire puller; a spray and drying chamber having an inlet end and an outlet end, and having apertures at each said ends through which said wire may pass at a substantially uniform rate; a plurality of bafiies located in said chamber at substantially each said end thereof, said baifies having apertures through which said wire is adapted to pass coinciding with said apertures 'at each end of said chamber; a spray system at one end of said chamber and a drying system at the other end of said chamber; said spray system comprising a plurality of nozzles in the walls of said chamber adapted to be directed at said wire as it passes through said chamher; an air supply; a manifold; a plurality of air lines from said manifolds to each of said nozzles; said baffies adapted to establish a pressure gradient whereby the amount of air leaking into said chamber around said wire apertures is reduced, and the plurality of bafiies near the exit end of said chamber alternately displaced from the interior sides of said chamber to form a maze for the incoming air to increase its drying elficiency as it passes across said wire a like plurality of times; said drying system comprising a vacuum creating means; a filter to which said means is applied; a line from said filter to said drying end of said chamber; a reservoir for condensed spray; fluid conduit lines from the bottom of both ends of said chamber to said reservoir; a line from the top of said reservoir to said filter, whereby the color sprayed on said wire in one end of said chamber is dried at the other end of said chamber and the surrounding atmosphere is kept clear by moving more air from said chamber than is supplied to said chamber by said spray nozzles.

References Cited in the file of this patent 687,118 Great Britain Feb, 4, 1953 

